


Control

by intricateorchid



Category: Naruto
Genre: A/U kinda not really, BDSM, D/s, M/M, tsundere Sasuke is the best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-02 15:22:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4064875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intricateorchid/pseuds/intricateorchid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After returning to Konoha, Sasuke seeks a way to lose the control he has worked so hard to gain over the years. After stumbling upon an adult club, Sasuke spends money on a professional...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

It's been three years since Sasuke has returned to Konoha. In exchange for his crimes as a missing-nin, Konoha has made good use of his skills and has been deploying him on missions left and right, leaving Sasuke exhausted as he returns to his apartment at two in the morning for days on end. Konoha was in a time of peace but the missions never stopped; although hardly any were above a B-rank, Konoha was quickly modernizing and with modernization came more people and with more people came more problems.

As a consequence to the population boom, red-light districts started popping up throughout the Land of Fire. Prostitution and adult venues have always existed—after all, war has always released the darker side of man and shinobi were not exceptions—but the red-light districts created a greater consciousness about sex. So while there were undercover slave trades and sex trafficking rings, the district also held adult theatres, clubs, and various shops. Many sniffed in contempt at the growth of these districts but they could not deny that sex sells, and the revenue the country gained from the districts made the villages grow even faster.

Sasuke never had a profound interest in sex—the years focused on revenge pushed his libido to the sidelines in favor of more important things—but after he cracked down one of the prostitution rings in Konoha, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to take a look around one of the districts. After using a transformation jutsu to transform into a rather generic-looking man (because god forbid someone sees an Uchiha running around sex clubs like a depraved pervert), he walks into a few of the buildings.

The first building was a theatre of sorts that had Sasuke grimacing at the distasteful movie of a big breasted woman being fondled (is that the correct word?) by a snake. The movie hit a little too close to home for him, bringing up some not-so-fond memories of Orochimaru, and Sasuke promptly left the theatre.

The second appeared to be a sex museum with erotic paintings on the walls and phallic stone carvings throughout the rooms.  _Imagine that being your greatest achievement in life_ , Sasuke snorted. He took a look at a few of the pictures: some with two men, some with two women, some with many men and many women in a variety of positions. None seemed to hold his interest. After trying to decipher one statue of a naked woman contorted in what seemed to be a physically impossible position, Sasuke decided to leave this building as well.

It was the fifth building that held a surprise for Sasuke. When he walked through the doors, the candle-lit halls opened up to a room that was so dark Sasuke couldn't see his own hands in front of him. Right on cue, harsh lights shined on a naked man kneeling on a raised stage, nipples clamped and arms bound behind him, his black hair shielding his face from the audience's gaze. Sasuke takes the seat closest to the door, ready to make a quick exit in case the show proves to be a disaster like the others he has seen. Onstage, a woman appears clad in leather, brandishing a crop in one hand. She says a few words to the man on the floor although Sasuke can't make out what she's saying from so far away; all he sees is the man parting his legs, his hard cock jutting up in display for the voyeuristic crowd. The man looks up at his mistress in complete adoration. Next, Sasuke hears the crack of the riding crop against bare skin and a loud groan.

The whips don't stop. The leather crop attacks the man's thighs and ass and Sasuke feels a coiling heat in his abdomen that he has never felt before. He can't tear his eyes away from the man on stage who passively takes all of the stinging punishments that his mistress inflicts on him. His pants tighten as the man flinches with every lick. How does it feel to lose yourself in pain like that? To give up all of your control to someone else?

Sasuke has desperately tried to gain control of his life ever since he was 7. He was like a leaf caught in the wind, manipulated by Itachi, by Orochimaru, by Konoha. His search for power was a means of regaining some of that control but it only seemed to backfire on him. Somewhere along the lines, his attempts to control his life grew out of control. Even now, he hasn't gotten out of the habit of self-policing his interactions with others—except when it comes to Naruto, who always manages to provoke him with his loud mouth and stubborn attitude. How is it that this man can trust the woman not to hit him too hard or to give him what he needs when Sasuke finds it difficult to depend on teammates who are in charge of his life?

The clatter of the crop on the ground breaks Sasuke out of his thoughts. Onstage, the mistress pulls the man closer to her using the metal chain connecting the nipple clamps and Sasuke's stomach lurches in appreciation. After a long kiss, the woman holds the man tight and strokes his hair with one hand. The stage lights click and Sasuke leaves. That night, Sasuke gets no sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

After his time at the red-light district and a newfound interest in sex, Sasuke frequents the BDSM clubs and shows whenever he gets free time. Through watching and listening in on scenes he begins to learn about the equipment and the terms used in the community—for something so debauched, BDSM can have astounding structure and rules. Sasuke attempts to get to know the scene on a more intimate level via a few quick trysts in the restrooms and in the alleys (with both men and women alike) but he always gets disinterested halfway through and leaves them in the middle of their arousal, their faces twisted in confusion when they open their eyes to see Sasuke gone. Sasuke is thankful his ninja training allows him to leave undetected.

At night, his mind conjures up fantasies of him submitting to someone but while his toes curl in excitement, his brain says it’s impossible for something like that to ever happen. He curses at his body for being aroused by such a disgusting act of weakness. Sasuke has learnt to be independent all of his life; he sure as hell wasn’t going to start groveling at someone’s feet now. But when Sasuke overhears a few submissives talking about a supposedly amazing Dom-for-hire named “Kurama,” Sasuke couldn’t help but wonder if submitting was possible.

Later that month, Sasuke sits in a waiting room with a clipboard in his hand in the guise of a plain-faced man, filling out a questionnaire regarding his kinks and hard limits. He looks blankly at the sheet in his hands. _I think it’d be easier to say what I’m_ not _into than it is to list what I_ am _into_ , Sasuke thinks to himself. After all, he was practically asexual before his discovery of the scene two months ago and despite his new textbook knowledge of BDSM, he was like a teenage boy who has stumbled upon pornography for the first time.

 _How embarrassing for a man of my age to_ _not know what I want in bed._

For now, Sasuke put sex as off-limits. It would be giving the man too much power over him, he muses to himself. He hands the clipboard back in to the bored-looking redhead at the front desk who glances over his application briefly and clicks her tongue in a way that meant, _follow me_.

She leads him down burgundy-painted halls, heels click-clacking against the floor and starts speaking in melodic tones, “If you’re a ninja, I wanna let you know that jutsus aren’t allowed here. The only ones we allow are transformation jutsus.” Sasuke snorts.

“But anyway, you should have nothing to worry about since we have a strict confidentiality agreement. If we catch you doing any jutsus or trying to harm anybody in any way, and not in the sexy way mind you, you’re out of here. Kurama won’t let you get away with it anyhow,” she chuckles to herself. “You’re not a ninja, are you?”

“No,” he lies through his teeth.

She turns back to look at him with surveying eyes. “Hm.”

Her feet halt to a stop four doors down from the main entrance. The red-haired woman places the clipboard in a slot in front of the door and Sasuke muses that it’s as though they’re in a doctor’s office and he’s here for a routine check-up.

“I chose this room because it seems you’re relatively new to the scene.” _Is it that obvious?_ “If you like what Kurama does, you can come back and we’ll open up a contract for you.”

Her hands turn the knob and the door reveals a canopy bed that spans more than half of the room. The crimson sheets and the dark tulle curtains could have easily made the room just another love hotel, but the restraints peeking out from under the bed and the various whips hung on the wall proved otherwise.

“Kurama has just one request for newcomers. He prefers for you to be blindfolded for your first time.”

Sasuke’s head turns so quickly his neck could have snapped. “What?” he bites.

She blinks back at him, utterly unfazed by his stabbing glare. “Dom’s orders,” she intones, challenging him to back down. He grits his teeth and follows her to the middle of the room where she motions for him to sit down. He does so reluctantly, and the woman, content with his obedience, starts to untie the wide silk sash knotted around one of the belt-loops of her pants.

“Don’t be so tense,” she chatters as she drapes the cool fabric across Sasuke’s eyes. “Kurama is an excellent Dom.” His vision goes dark as the sash tightens against his head. With a blindfold on, Sasuke wouldn’t be able to use the Sharingan if he needed to. Not that he should, in any case.

“Just sit and wait like a good little sub. He’ll be here soon,” she says, finishing up the knot. It sounded more like a warning than a suggestion, and Sasuke can’t help but wonder if she was a professional as well.

Her body heat dissipates as she steps away and the air feels colder than ever. He hears her chirp a “have fun!” and after a clicking of heels and a door slam, Sasuke sits in silence. He has been in darkness many times but he has never been as unnerved as he is now.

 _What the fuck are you doing here, Sasuke?,_ he berates himself. What made him think this was a good idea? For all he fucking knew this could be a trap; his enemies could be squealing with delight on the other side of the door and Sasuke was too blinded by his libido to realize it. He was such an idiot. Kurama, or whatever the hell his name was, and his stupid insistence on a blindfold either meant that the man wasn’t very nice to look at or that he had some ulterior motives, and Sasuke was willing to bet on both.

A few more minutes of deafening silence and anxiety sets in. Sasuke’s breath quickens. _I need to get out of here_ , he panics. His hands reach up to yank the blindfold off but before he gets too far, the door clicks open and the sound of heavy boots echo in the room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The man’s voice was a low throaty hum and Sasuke’s body tenses for a minute, caught in the act. The stern voice made him feel like he was 5 and his father was scolding him for throwing kunai at the walls of the house.

“The blindfold’s stupid,” Sasuke mutters, fingers starting to work on the tight knot of silk.

“Oh? This doesn’t seem to be one of your hard limits. Have you had too much already?”

Sasuke bites the inside of his cheek and brings his arms down, remaining blindfolded. He could hear the man’s deep chuckles to his side. “That’s what I thought,” the man says, and Sasuke grits his teeth in return.

“So what brings such a young man like you here?” There’s a clattering of drawers and what sounded like the click of a lock.

“What do you think?” Sasuke bites.

“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? But as much as you’d like to pretend like you don’t want it, you’re the one that’s paying for my services. Or did you forget?”

“Fuck off.”

The man laughs. “If you keep that up, I’m going to have to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

The man laughs again, harder this time, and Sasuke can’t help the frustration that boils beneath his skin.

“Could it be that you want me to force you into submission instead?” he flirts, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. Sasuke prepares a retort but finds none, settling for silence instead. This was a bad idea.

Being blindfolded makes him painfully aware of this man in front of him. Sasuke smelled worn leather, metal, and a lingering hint of a musky cologne that must have faded throughout the day. The man radiated heat; although they weren’t touching, the heat cloaks the front of Sasuke’s body like sunlight and Sasuke notices how cold his back feels in comparison. “Choose a safeword,” the man drawls above him, words dripping like warm honey off of a spoon. He can’t see it but Sasuke feels the burn of the man’s gaze and he has never felt as naked in his life as he does now.

“Kurama,” Sasuke says, trying to get the upper hand. “That’s my safeword.”

After a beat, Sasuke hears the low, breathy laughter of the man in front of him. “Good one,” he says, mirth tingeing his voice. “You’ll be referring to me as ‘Master’ and ‘Sir’ anyways, so that name would have been off limits regardless.”

Before Sasuke could respond, stinging leather rains on his chest and he’s unable to stop the gasp that escapes his lips.

“Strip,” the man before him orders, laughter gone from his speech. Sasuke is so surprised at the hardness in the man’s voice that it took another flog to snap him out of his shock.

“I said. Strip.”

Sasuke juts his chin up in defiance and then yelps as the leather fingers bite at his skin again, harder this time.

“Don’t make me say it a third time.”

Heat rushes up to his cheeks and Sasuke’s hand reluctantly grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head. Much to Sasuke’s chagrin, the blindfold is tied on so tight, it doesn’t get pulled off along with the shirt.

“Pants too,” the voice says. Sasuke hesitates for a second but in the end, he takes those off as well, standing only in his briefs. As he sits back down on the bed, he becomes hyperaware of how naked he is and his cock starts to respond. Sasuke feels foolish and tries to cover up his body’s reactions but before he could, strong hands push his thighs apart.

“You’ve got a mouth on you,” the man growls in his ear, dragging the flogger down Sasuke’s chest. “I think you need to learn your place.”  Out of nowhere, the flogger flicks at his inner thighs and Sasuke hisses in pain.

“Arms in front.”

If he wasn’t blindfolded, Sasuke would have seen the pathetic way his hands shook as he lifted them, his body trembling in excitement. A bruising grip was on his arm and the next thing he knew, thick corded rope bound his wrists together.

“Good boy,” the man murmurs, and electricity shoots up his spine. “Kneel on the bed.”

Sasuke pulls his legs up and clumsily scoots back, hands numb, licking his lips in anticipation. The flogger comes down again, quicker this time, alternating between both thighs. It doesn’t feel too bad at first. When Kurama does it lightly in the beginning, it feels like his skin is getting pricked by very thin senbon—but when the flicks come faster and harder, the pricks become more like stings which become too much for his inner thighs to handle. After what felt like hours but in reality was only minutes, the flogging stops and Sasuke lets go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Put you in your place yet?” Sasuke is too dazed to answer, the working part of his mind trying to keep the transformation jutsu from falling apart. Before he regains his composure, a hand pushes the back of his head and Sasuke falls forward, elbows barely catching him before his cheeks brush the sheets.

“Stay just like that,” and Sasuke feels the humiliation that crawls up his chest at being so exposed, his ass raised in display for the man to see. Suddenly, there’s a light slap on the back of his thighs and then a drag of what feels like a cane up his legs.

“You made such a big show of not wanting it but this begs to differ,” the husky voice says behind him, and Sasuke feels the rod slide between his cheeks and travel down the length of his cock.

“It’s a natural response,” Sasuke snarls, yelping when he feels leather nip his skin. _A crop?_

“What did I say about mouthing off?” the man scolds. There’s a whoosh of air and a stinging slap on his ass.

“Fuck,” Sasuke breathes, legs twitching.

“Watch it.” The crop taps against his ass cheek, light staccato taps that feel so good, Sasuke can’t help but push back against it, silently asking for more. The taps come faster now, quick bites that attack his skin, and before Sasuke could get used to it, one particularly strong whip leaves Sasuke gasping.

The crop keeps coming, alternating one hard slap for every five light ones, and the skin underneath his briefs grow red hot under the assault. The whipping stops for only a few seconds at a time, barely giving Sasuke a chance to breathe before it begins again, always more vicious than the last. After four or five rounds—Sasuke is too dazed to count correctly—he stops flinching, his body learning how futile it was to escape the crop’s tongue. One last brutal whip against his ass and Sasuke can’t take it anymore. He had to stop this or he would lose control of his jutsu.

“Kurama—!” he screams. He hears the crop fall on the floor and his stomach drops. Sasuke lost. He should have been able take whatever the man dished out but he couldn’t do it. The shame starts creeping in, a backdrop to the burning soreness of his skin.

“Sit up,” the man whispers, the steel gone from his voice. Sasuke uses his bound hands to clumsily push himself up, wincing as his ass rubs against the rough fabric of his underwear. His arms are yanked up and then the rope is gone, leaving his tender wrists throbbing when the blood rushes back to his hands.

A warm blanket cloaks his back and suddenly, the room is no longer pitch black. His blindfold is gone and when Sasuke’s vision refocuses, he sees a warm, expressive face in front of him. With a start, he realizes that this young man is Kurama. _He’s not hideous, but I’ve yet to see if he has any bad intentions._

As if Kurama knows what he’s thinking, the man’s face breaks into a wide grin.

“How are you feeling?”

He passes Sasuke a cup of water and Sasuke stares at it for a minute before his thirst compels him to take it.

After a long couple of minutes with no response to his question, Kurama laughs loudly, his body shaking with mirth—and Sasuke can’t help but to think that something about this man reminds him of Naruto. _They both get on my nerves, that’s for sure._

“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” Kurama’s smile stretches across his face. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” Sasuke thinks the man really needs to get his eyes checked out.

Sasuke reaches for his clothes, trying to ignore the way his skin throbs in pain when he shifts. The man, taking that as his cue to leave, starts heading for the door.

“See you next time!”

“Fuck off.”

The man’s booming laughter echoes down the halls.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm sorry this chapter is so short! I've been so busy these past few weeks. But rest assured, the 3rd chapter should be coming up soon. I really hope you guys enjoy it. No smut in this chapter unfortunately. Love you all!

* * *

The bruises of the corded rope have faded to a dull mauve tint on Sasuke's pale wrists. His arm warmers often cover the marks but from time to time he pulls the sleeves back to confirm that his night with Kurama was not just a hormone-induced dream. He still doesn't know what compelled him to go that night—whether it was due to boredom, loneliness, or sexual need—but he hasn't had much time to think about it because the bon festival was fast approaching and the missions were piling up.

It was Sasuke's fault anyway. He had asked the Hokage to keep him busy. He has always tried to keep busy around the holidays. There are too many dead for him to think about, too many graves for him to sweep. His dead were all buried alongside the blurry vignettes of him and his family in yukata, munching on watermelon, performing the  _bon_  dance, lighting paper lanterns. He couldn't find it in him to celebrate the dead anymore. The festival may be fun for civilians, but for shinobi it was just another reminder that the dead outnumbered the living. The missions kept him busy and the busier he was, the less time he had to think.

When he had asked Tsunade permission to up his mission quota, she looked at him for a long time, mouth set in a firm line. Sasuke stared back at her unflinchingly, noticing for the first time how old her eyes looked, a shocking contrast to the youthfulness of her face. Her sigh finally broke the tense silence between them and she handed over several dossiers—many were D-rank and should have been reserved for recent Academy graduates but with the festival coming up, most of the students were busy preparing plans with their families. Anyway, D-rank or S-rank, it didn't matter to Sasuke anymore. He was done with remembering.

When Sasuke moved to grab the last scroll, Tsunade's hand gripped it in place, worry etched on her features. Back then, she didn't know Sasuke well—she knew him as a prodigy, as an avenger, and as a criminal. It was Naruto that humanized Sasuke for her in his recounts of the old days of Team 7; she still remembers the way his eyes shined as he told her how about the Land of Waves, about stupid old Sasuke and his stupid old smirk as he called Naruto a scaredy-cat, about Sasuke's embarrassed reluctance on asking Naruto for tree-climbing tips. And then Naruto grew quiet, remembering when Sasuke left Konoha with a crazed look in his eyes. In the three years Naruto has been gone, she has gotten to know Sasuke personally through the passing conversations they had while they exchanged mission scrolls. His responses to her questions were always short and polite, but somehow, Tsunade has grown increasingly fond of him.

"Sasuke," she had uttered, green eyes searching his. "Nothing's standing in between you and Konoha. It's already been three years."

"I'm already back," he stated matter-of-factly.

"You know what I mean."

Sasuke had been in no mood for a lecture and yanked the scroll out of her hands in order to show it.

"I appreciate the sentiment but Konoha's the one that's stopping me."

Before she was able to reply, Sasuke left. Now he stands at the top of Konoha library looking over the village, the carved eyes of the Hokage staring back at him in the hot afternoon sun, long shadows bringing their faces to life. There was a flurry of activity below him, parents dragging their children around the market to prepare for the upcoming festival, scurrying around the shops like ants. Sasuke idly thinks back to the bon festival that happened shortly after the chuunin exam; it was poorly timed, taking place right after the Sandaime's death. Still, many went to the festival in his honor. "He would have wanted this," they said. Sasuke didn't go—he never does—but he remembers the knock he got on his door around dusk. When he opened it, he found Naruto and Sakura fidgeting outside his door in their yukata. They pestered him to come with them, only to leave dejectedly when Sasuke adamantly refused.

Later that night, Sasuke got another knock on his door. It was just Naruto this time, loud Naruto in his similarly loud orange yukata. He handed Sasuke a clear bag with a little goldfish in it and left before Sasuke could say anything, shouting at him as he ran down the streets, "Thought you might like a pet that's as fun as you are!" Sasuke's neighbors, annoyed by the commotion, yelled back at Naruto. He peered at the scrawny little fish and thought the goldfish was more like Naruto than it was like him—it was obnoxiously orange and had Naruto's same dumb look in its eyes. It only lived for a week or so. Sasuke forgot to feed it, too consumed in training. He still remembers the small twinge of guilt he got when he saw the goldfish floating motionlessly at the top of the fishbowl one day, its blank dumb eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. He didn't tell Naruto.

Weeks later, Sasuke left Konoha. In a way, it feels like he has never returned. Tsunade was wrong. Everything stood in between him and Konoha. Even if he forgot, the averted eyes of the crowd reminded him, the hush-hush as they tell their children not to look. It was the least of what Sasuke deserved.

_Don't think, Sasuke._ Sasuke pulled out the last scroll for the day and after quickly skimming the mission details, he made his way to the Konoha hospital. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he turned back to look at the monument, the Hokages' cold stone eyes watching him.

At the entrance of the hospital, an all-too familiar place, Sasuke weaves through the patients and doctors to see a shock of blonde hair down a long hallway.  _It couldn't be_. In the three years that Naruto has been gone, Sasuke's eyes have unconsciously sought out bright yellow hair to the point where he has unknowingly followed strangers back to their homes. It didn't matter that their hair was more of a dirty blonde, or was stick straight and cascaded down their shoulders. Somehow, the blonde-ness of it propelled Sasuke to follow. And here, his feet urged him to do it again.

"Sasuke?"

The head turned around and there he was, several inches taller and skin tanned golden, bright blue eyes shining with recognition.

"Naruto," he blinked, unable to shake the shock from his body.

Naruto takes a few steps and envelops Sasuke in a warm hug; his arm muscles shift as they wrap around Sasuke's back and Sasuke is too dazed to notice the way they feel as they tense against his skin. Abruptly, the heat is gone.

"Ah, sorry," Naruto says, grinning awkwardly. "I got carried away. I've been gone for so long I've even started to miss your stupid face."

Sasuke can't help the small smile that sprouts from his lips. His brows unfurrow and the tension rolls off of his shoulders in waves. This was what he needed. No judgment. Just a blond idiot.

"When have you been back?"

"I've been back for a while now but I had to help out with a friend's business."  
With a sly grin, he adds, "Did you miss me that much?"

"As if," Sasuke scoffs. Naruto laughs heartily and Sasuke knows Naruto hears the "yes" in his voice.

Naruto had left Konoha at Tsunade's recommendation, or threat, rather. Naruto could fight but he didn't know politics and without learning more about the different countries and different villages around him, Tsunade had told him that she would never, in a million years, allow him to become Hokage. They both knew she was lying, but Naruto decided to humor her. At first, he travelled around the country under discretion (although for Naruto, there was no such thing), learning on a first-hand basis about the different villages. The trip wasn't meant to be any longer than a year or two but Naruto was Naruto and being the very person that he is, he got himself caught up in ridiculous promises that he miraculously followed to the very end. He took his preparation for becoming a Hokage seriously and everyone saw the passion in him and loved him for it.

Without Naruto, Sasuke's transition back to his old life was more difficult than it could have been. Naruto finally got the recognition he deserved but in return, Sasuke took Naruto's place as the monster in the village. The whispers and the reproachful eyes were indeed a change from the pitying looks he got as child, but he wasn't sure which one he preferred.

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be out signing autographs and meeting with city officials?"

Naruto, not hearing the bitterness in his voice, laughed and rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"I was visiting Sakura for a bit. She recently got back too! The life of a medic-nin must be pretty tough, huh? The research all sounds so boring. But then again, Sakura was always really good at theory and all that. What about you, Sasuke? What've you been up to?"

"Missions," he stated.

"Missions?"

"Yeah. I'm on my way up to fix the antenna on the roof."

Naruto let out a hearty laugh. "Did you get demoted?!" Sasuke didn't answer.

"Hey, let's all do some missions together next time." Naruto pats his shoulder. "Me, you, and Sakura. For old time's sake."

Sasuke grunted and Naruto grinned back with a smile a bit too wide for Sasuke's tastes.

"I have to go see if I can get Iruka-sensei to treat me to some welcome-back ramen but I'll see you around, Sasuke-bastard!"

Sasuke watches as Naruto waves a few goodbyes and walks down the hallway, his broad back stretching the heavy fabric of the orange-black jacket that was a size too small for Naruto's rapidly improving musculature. Naruto was a man now, evidenced by the blushing female admirers that flocked to his side. Even Sakura has grown to be a bit of a beauty, her childish body growing a few curves in the recent years. It's only Sasuke that feels no different—as though he's a child trapped in a man's body and he's twelve again, back in Konoha, trying to relive the life that was taken away from him. Everyone has moved on and he's here, paying someone to make him feel like an adult when he's such a child.

Sasuke scratches at the marks on his wrists and heads to the roof.

* * *

**A/N:**

Bon festival: summer festival, meant to honor ancestors, etc.

I used "Sasuke-bastard" and "Iruka-sensei" because it seemed fitting. It's always really difficult to translate Japanese speech to English but I'm going to do what sounds right to me so I apologize to everyone about how mixed up these all are! (I just think it's weird to write 'thin hammer' instead of 'usuratonkachi'.)

Thank you so much for reading! As always, please rate and review!


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